Elections Archives

Hungary's right-wing government plans next month to survey its citizens to determine whether the courts should stop financially compensating Roma for discrimination and prisoners for mistreatment. Critics say the government survey will pave the way for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to …

Sinn Féin made only one mistake: had it run multiple candidates in its strongest constituencies, it could have become the largest party in the Irish parliament by a long lead, writes Dick Roche.

Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the leftist Unidas Podemos party who is also Spain's Minister for Social Rights, will take part in a “Mesa de Diálogo” (dialogue table) with Catalan separatist leaders, alongside members of the socialist party (PSOE), EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.

When Aengus O Snodaigh first sought election to Ireland's parliament in 1987, he and his Sinn Fein colleagues were banned from speaking on Irish TV and radio for their connection to IRA militants and were a decade away from their first seat.

Irish nationalists Sinn Fein demanded on Sunday (9 February) to be part of the next Irish government after early results indicated the left-wing party secured the most votes in an election that leader Mary Lou McDonald described as a ballot box "revolution".

Thuringia's freshly-elected Minister-President, Thomas Kemmerich of the liberal FDP party, stepped down on Saturday (8 February) after his alliance with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) triggered nation-wide outrage.

After 25 hours in office, the now-former Minister-President of Thuringia, liberal candidate Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) was forced to resign as his party wanted to shake-off the "stigma" linked to being supported by far-right party AfD. The political crisis has reached Brussels, causing quite the uproar among Renew MEPs. EURACTIV France reports.

Only 25 hours after his election, the new Thuringian Minister-President Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) has announced his resignation. He is stepping down to "remove the stigma of the AfD's support from the Minster-President's office".

French MEPs are mobilising for the French municipal elections and have shown open support for some candidates. Conservative MEP Agnès Evren is even the top candidate of Les Républicains (LR) for the elections in the 15th Paris arrondissement. EURACTIV France reports.

Ireland goes to the polls on Saturday (8 February), with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar touting his successful handling of Brexit, but facing pressure over housing and healthcare.

Poland will hold the first round of its presidential election on 10 May, the speaker of parliament announced on Wednesday (5 February), with incumbent President Andrzej Duda tipped as the favourite.

Romanian lawmakers toppled the three-month-old centrist minority government of Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on Wednesday (5 February), raising the prospect of an early parliamentary election which Orban's party says it is confident of winning.

Thomas Kemmerich, a liberal democrat from the FDP party, became Thuringia's new Minister-President on Wednesday (5 February), thanks to support from the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far-right – a first in post-war Germany. EURACTIV Germany reports. 

Irish nationalists Sinn Fein have surged to the top of an opinion poll five days ahead of an election in Ireland that looks set to be a major breakthrough for the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army.

In Burgenland's state elections, socialist Hans-Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) won the absolute majority, bringing a ray of hope to the Austrian socialist party which has suffered a multitude of defeats recently. One would think the party could learn something from this, but a party insider thinks this is unlikely. EURACTIV Germany reports.

This Friday's (31 January) Brexit and the departure of Britain's MEPs will shake up the balance of power in the European Parliament and could complicate Brussels' reform agenda.

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec stepped down on Monday (27 January) and suggested calling early elections, saying his minority five-party government was unable to pass important legislation through a parliament it did not control.

Italy's populist leader Matteo Salvini appeared to have failed in his bid to win a key regional election and topple the country's fragile coalition government, according to exit polls late Sunday (26 January).

Poland's parliament on Thursday (23 January) approved a controversial draft law aimed at disciplining judges who question government judicial reforms that the European Union says are out of step with the rule of law.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said for the first time on Wednesday (22 January) that he would consider entering an unprecedented coalition government with the country's second-largest party and historic rival Fianna Fáil (affiliated to Renew Europe) after next month's election.

Luigi Di Maio stepped down on Wednesday (22 January) as leader of Italy's co-governing 5-Star movement, as it seeks to stem a wave of defections that threatens the government's parliamentary majority.

Hungary's top defence lawyer accused Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Tuesday (21 January) of undermining the rule of law through his refusal to accept two court decisions that require payouts of state funds.

Many have seen Austria's new conservative-Green coalition as a model for Europe, and especially for Germany. But the German Greens quickly distanced themselves, motivated by strategic calculation, election tactics and a concern that their more idealistic electorate would not approve it. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The "Sardines" grassroots movement protesting against the populism of far-right Italian leader Matteo Salvini staged a mass rally in the northern city of Bologna on Sunday (19 January) ahead of a regional vote that could shake up national politics.